Asia Africa Intelligence Wire articles from February 2004, page 9

Asia Africa Intelligence Wire archives from February 2004

Uganda: Ruling movement to launch new FM station.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) February Kampala - The National Resistance Movement Organization (NRM-O) has registered a radio station, which is going on air next week. President Yoweri Museveni will officially launch...

Two Qataris arrested in Moscow said to be international wrestlers.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) The Qatari News Agency has cited the [Qatari] Foreign Ministry as saying that the two Qataris who were arrested at Moscow airport on Thursday [26 February] represent the Qatari Wrestling...

Uganda: Investigators exhume 70 bodies of LRA victims in north.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Seventy bodies of the Barlonyo victims of Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels in Lira [northern Uganda] were exhumed over two days, by a team of investigators. The army in...

Malaysia's Anwar complains over delayed bail case.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) February Kuala Lumpur, 27 February: Malaysia's ex-Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Sri Anwar Ibrahim has expressed regrets over the judiciary's unfair treatment to him in connection with his...

Malaysia: Ruling party said offering opposition figures "cash for membership".
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) February Penang, 27 February: Penang State Keadilan [National Justice Party] Deputy Women Chief Aminah Abdullah has revealed that UMNO [United Malays National Organization] is trying to...

Indonesia: Slovakian envoy meets Yogyakarta governor.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) site Yogyakarta, 28 February: Slovakian Ambassador to Indonesia Peter Holazek during a working visit to Yogyakarta met with the province's governor, Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, here on...

Afghan paper calls on government to stem the rise of regional councils.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) We should accept that there have always been leaders and elders at the regional and national level in our country's long and war-rich history. They have taken productive and constructive steps...

Armenia announces census results.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Yerevan, 28 February: The Armenian authorities have announced the results of the latest census that puts the country's population at 2.2m. According to the National Statistics Service, 64.3...

Ugandan rebel leader reportedly orders killing of all Acholi in country's north.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) "Go out and kill all the men, women and children you find in Acholi [northern Uganda]. Leave nobody standing, for they have risen against me and none shall be spared." With those words, LRA...

China's party paper urges grassroots party building for rural reform.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of Renmin Ribao commentator's article entitled: "The key is in having a good party branch", carried by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Beijing, [Saturday]...

Pakistani premier approves plan to upgrade Federal Investigation Agency.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) February Islamabad: Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali on Saturday [28 February] approved a plan for the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) upgradation and bifurcation of Islamabad...

Two civilians killed in Nepal blasts.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) At least two civilians were killed in separate explosions in Nuwakot and Sindhupalchowk [both in central region] districts on Saturday [28 February]. A truck driver was killed as a land...

Nepal press selection list for 29 Feb 04.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) NEPAL SAMACHARPATRA 1. Maoists asked for 100, 000-rupee ransom from the family of an abducted student. Rajesh Khadka, a student of Sunsari, a district in eastern Nepal, was kidnapped by...

Moderates start unity drive in Nepali Congress party.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Kathmandu, 28 February: Leaders for unity in the Nepali Congress Saturday [28 February] launched a unity drive after terming the call of party President Girija Prasad Koirala positive. One...

Nepal army claims success in controlling Maoist violence in eastern region.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Itahari, [east Nepal], 28 February: The Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) Eastern Pritina [division] Headquarters has claimed remarkable success in controlling Maoist violence from the first week of...

South Korean students to be allowed into Japan without visas from 1 March.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Tokyo, [Sunday] 29 February: South Korean students on school trips will be allowed into Japan without visas from Monday, and officials at tourist spots are organizing campaigns to attract them....

South Korea: Large oil leak occurs inside US military base.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Pyongtaek, [Sunday] 29 February: About 30,000 gallons of oil leaked inside a US military base here, a city official said Sunday. However, the aircraft fuel from Camp Humphreys did not enter...

BBC Monitoring quotes from Middle East Arabic press for 29 Feb 04.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) The following is a selection of quotes from editorials and comment published in the 29 February 2004 editions of Arabic language newspapers in the Middle East and north Africa, as available to...

BBC Monitoring Quotes from the Iranian Press 29 February 2004.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) The following is a selection of quotes from editorials published in 29 February editions of Persian-language Iranian newspapers available to the BBC via the Internet. Also includes some...

SA TO GET GEOGRAPHIC SOFTWARE WITH MAP AND ROUTING.
February 29, 2004... (From SAPA (South African Press Association)) A tie-up between a South African company and a Taiwanese computer giant should help motorists arrive at their destinations faster. MobiTrak and Comparex Africa have just launched HandyMAP -- a...

Former "comfort women" living in N Korea to visit Seoul in May.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Seoul, [Sunday] 29 February: Dozens of North Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military are expected to visit Seoul for an international conference on Japanese...

Pakistani paper: "Local sources" say no terrorist killed in Wana shooting.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Peshawar: As many as 13 passengers were killed and five injured, including five local tribesmen, when personnel of the law enforcement agencies opened fire on a passenger vehicle in South...

Australian foreign minister "open" to second Iraqi weapons probe.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Australia's foreign minister says he is open to the idea of a second inquiry into the government's pre-war intelligence on Iraq's banned weapons of mass destruction [WMD]. A parliamentary...

Summary of Ukrainian TV "New Army" military programme 0815 gmt 29 Feb 04.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) 1. 0010 Headlines. 2. 0030 Video report on work of Ukrainian peacekeepers in Wasit Region, Iraq. Andriy Lyakh, captioned as regiment commander, speaks about detention of men who had shot at...

Australia to send cyclone relief to Vanuatu.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Australia will send emergency supplies to Vanuatu to help deal with the aftermath of Cyclone Ivy. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says he has information that one person was killed during...

Australian trade minister denies split over Philippine banana imports.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Australia's trade minister has denied there is a split in the ruling coalition's National Party over a quarantine decision to allow banana imports from the Philippines. Australian banana...

Fiji prime minister, Labour leader meet, agree to continue dialogue.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase and Labour [Party] leader Mahendra Chaudhry have sat and talked in the talanoa [traditional talks] session and both have agreed to maintain dialogue On the...

Church to be set up from amphibious vessel in Russia's Volga area.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) In Volgograd, a floating powered church will be set up from a worn-out amphibious vessel, the Volgograd diocese has said. Revamping is under way on board the ship. Following the repairs, the new...

Russian envoy says North Korea nuclear talks achieved less than hoped.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Beijing, 29 February: The prospects for talks on the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula largely depend on the implementation of the accord on setting up a working group. This was reached...

(Corrected) BBC Monitoring quotes from Middle East Arabic press for 29 Feb 04.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) (Correcting date in sourceline. A corrected version of the item follows.) The following is a selection of quotes from editorials and comment published in the 29 February 2004 editions of...

Bosnian Presidency head says plane crash to be thoroughly investigated.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Sarajevo, 29 February: The chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia-Hercegovina, Sulejman Tihic, has promised Macedonian Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski that the Bosnian authorities will do...

Nicole Saba accompanies Hanan Turk for 45 days.
February 29, 2004... (From Al Bawaba) Lebanese actress/singer Nicole Saba has accepted a role in the new film "45 Days" alongside Egyptian actress Hanan Turk, marking her second acting experience, the first being alongside side Egyptian prominent...

Israel on ''high alert'' for attacks following Gaza air strike as three Palestinian teen ''would-be bombers'' arrest.
February 29, 2004... (From Al Bawaba) Israel security forces intensified alerts on Sunday for possible "terror attacks" in response to an Israeli assassination attack Saturday, in which three Islamic Jihad operatives were killed. Top Islamic Jihad...

Israel approves $1.1 billion Phalcon sale to India.
February 29, 2004... (From MENA Business Reports) The Israeli security cabinet approved on Sunday the sale of three advanced Phalcon spy planes to India. The transaction is valued at $1.1 billion, Israel Radio reported. According to local media, Israeli Prime...

MURDER SUSPECT HANDS HIMSELF OVER.
February 29, 2004... (From SAPA (South African Press Association)) A 36-year old man handed himself over to police for the murder of another man at a tavern in Sophiatown on Saturday night, Johannesburg police said. Inspector Amanda Roestoff said on Sunday...

Fiji Native Land Trust Board issues eviction notices to settlers.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Several residents in Tamavua's Sakoca settlement are facing evictions. Some of these people who are facing an insecure future have confirmed receiving eviction notices giving them 40 days to...

Afghan governor laments slow process of registering voters in south.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) [Announcer] The process of registering voters for the upcoming presidential election in Afghanistan is continuing and despite the existing slowness officials are trying to encourage people to...

About 30 kg of heroin seized in Tajikistan.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Dushanbe, 29 February: About 30 kg of heroin has been seized in Tajikistan's southern Farkhor District [bordering on Afghanistan]. An ITAR-TASS correspondent was told at the Tajik Internal...

Burma's Soe Win views decreasing trade deficit, promoting private sector.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) The work coordination meeting of the Ministry of Commerce for Year 2003 was held at the ministry's conference hall at 0730 [local time] on the morning of 27 February. Lt-Gen Soe Win, secretary-1...

South Korea rejects Japan's protest over stamps of disputed territory.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Geneva, [Sunday] 29 February: South Korea has rejected a Japanese protest over Seoul's issuance of stamps featuring Dokdo, a group of islets claimed by both countries, South Korean officials...

Russian radio holds text message vote for president.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) [Presenter] For the first time in Russia, voting at the presidential election by mobile phone will be held today. Our correspondent gives details of this technology. [Correspondent Natalya...

Croatian forensic experts arrive in Bosnia.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Zagreb, 29 February: Upon arrival in Mostar on Saturday [28 February] evening, Colonel Ivan Grujic said that the DNA identification of the remains of nine people killed in a plane crash over...

MAN DIES IN ROAD ACCIDENT IN SOWETO.
February 29, 2004... (From SAPA (South African Press Association)) A man was killed and his friend is in a serious condition at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital after their vehicle collided with a mini truck in Diepkloof, Soweto on Sunday, Metro Police said....

Kosovo Serbs present UNMIK with remarks on EU standards document.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Pristina, 27 February: The Serbian Return [Povratak] coalition today gave UNMIK [UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo] the remarks it wishes to make about the plan for implementing...

Macedonia: Commentary calls for action to end to killings among ethnic Albanians.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of commentary by Ismail Sinani: "Blood has turned to water!"; published by Macedonian Albanian-language newspaper Fakti on 24 February The triple killing in Tetove [Tetovo] has once...

Kosovo: TMK welcomes decision to acquit Gen Veseli.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Prishtina [Pristina], 27 February: The Kosova [Kosovo] Protection Corps [TMK] General Staff has welcomed today's decision by the Kosova Supreme Court to acquit Gen Sali Veseli of all charges....

Pakistani government orders high-level inquiry into Wana incident.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) The senate was informed today that a high-level inquiry has been ordered into yesterday's incident in Wana. Speaking on several points of order raised by members, Federal Minister for Water and...

Fiji signs air surveillance agreement with France.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Radio Fiji The army commander, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, has signed a deal that will increase air surveillance of Fiji's exclusive economic zone [EEZ] by the French military. ...

Fiji leaders' talks receive mixed reaction.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Radio Fiji The Fiji sugarcane growers' association [Fiji Sugarcane Growers' Council, FSGC] is not happy with the decision by the political leaders, Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase and Fiji...

MINISTRY DENIES REPORT LIFE SAVING TEAM GOT THE BOOT OVER QUOTAS.
February 29, 2004... (From SAPA (South African Press Association)) The sports ministry flatly denied allegations by the Democratic Alliance (DA) on Sunday that a life saving team was disqualified from a national competition held in the Western Cape recently...

MAN ARRESTED FOR MURDER IN PRETORIA.
February 29, 2004... (From SAPA (South African Press Association)) A 33-year-old man was arrested in Diepsloot near Fourways on Sunday for killing a man who had visited his friend's wife, Pretoria police said. Captain Piletji Sebola said the woman's husband...

TWO ARRESTED FOLLOWING FREE STATE HOSTEL SHOOTING.
February 29, 2004... (From SAPA (South African Press Association)) Alert police officers arrested two men at the scene of a shooting in a hostel in Meloding, Virginia, at the weekend, police said Sunday. Inspector Stephen Thakeng, police spokesman for the...

Russian lawyers arrive in Qatar to defend detainees in Chechen murder case.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Moscow, 29 February: A team of Russian lawyers has arrived in Qatar to offer legal assistance to the Russians accused of assassinating [Chechen rebel leader] Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev, a member of...

South Africa: Independent Democrats launch 2004 elections manifesto.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Patricia de Lille, the only woman leader of a national political party, unveiled the Independent Democrats 2004 election manifesto in Newtown, Johannesburg on 29 February. This date was...

Exclusive economic zone approved for Solomon Islands' Choiseul Province.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) web site on 29 February Cabinet has approved the development of Rob Roy Island and the southern part of Kumburo in Choiseul Province for commercial activities. Speaking during the...

Renaming of street in central Sarajevo subject of heated debate.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) [Hadziomerovic] Following the opposition from a large number of citizens of our country's capital, the [word indistinct] launched over the last 20 days in order to rename the central part of...

Kenyan president due to visit Tanzania on 29 February.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) President Mwai Kibaki will today make an official visit to Arusha, Tanzania, the headquarters of the East African Community, EAC. The president will attend an East African Community summit...

Israeli army detains three youths in West Bank.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) In the area of Jalamah in Samaria [West Bank], the IDF [Israeli Defence Forces] detained three youths from Tubas under suspicion of planning to stage a shooting attack against the IDF with the...

Fatah armed wing leave PNA TV offices after eight hour protest.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) [Passage omitted] In Gaza, some 40 activists from the Fatah military arm, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, seized control over the PNA [Palestinian National Authority] radio and television offices...

Bahraini MP wants immediate halt to Big Brother reality show.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) English by Bahrain newspaper Gulf Daily News web site on 28 February The Big Brother TV serial would have been acceptable if the sexes had been separated in every part of the house in...

China lifts quarantine in two more bird flu-affected areas.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) (New China News Agency) Beijing, [Sunday] 29 February: China's Ministry of Agriculture announced Sunday to lift the quarantine on two areas hit by the H5N1 strain of bird flu, saying the...

Minister orders halt to Armenia's "illegal" broadcasts in Azerbaijan.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) This is a press release from the Communications and Information Technology Ministry. There have been reports saying that TV channels of some neighbouring countries and, in particular of Armenia,...

Four miners die of suffocation in China's Anhui Province.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) (New China News Agency) Hefei, [Sunday] 29 February: Four miners died of suffocation in a bauxite mine in Huainan City, east China's Anhui Province, on Saturday, local government sources...

S Korean chief delegate to six-way talks "proud of" proposals to N Korea.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Seoul, [Sunday] 29 February: South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Soo-hyuck, the nation's chief delegate to the just-ended six-nation talks on the North Korean nuclear crisis, said Sunday...

Media watchdog urges cancellation of Azeri libel article.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Paris, 27 February: The Reporters Without Borders [Reporters Sans Frontieres] international rights organization has denounced a Baku court ruling of 25 February against the Muxalifat newspaper....

Oman's Rees Oil and Gas Services and Dubai's Solas win PDO contract.
February 29, 2004... (From MENA Business Reports) Oman's Rees Oil and Gas Services, in conjunction with their principals Solas Marine Services of Dubai, has been awarded the Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) contract for Multi User H2S Life Support Systems...

Washington approves $20 million UNWRA assistance.
February 29, 2004... (From MENA Business Reports) The US State Department has been authorized to use $20 million to assist Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and Gaza through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near...

Saudi Prince Al-Waleed ranks fourth on Forbes' richest people list.
February 29, 2004... (From MENA Business Reports) Saudi Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud has been ranked fourth on Forbes' annual list of the World's Richest People. The Prince is said to have a net worth of $21.5 billion. The magazine...

Soros Foundation notes "inaccuracies" in reports on its suspension in Uzbekistan.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) February Recent media reports have said that the Open Society Institute [sponsored by the Soros Foundation] has suspended its activities in Uzbekistan. These reports carried certain...

Bosnian and Macedonian premiers to visit plane crash site.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Sarajevo, 29 February: Macedonian Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski and Adnan Terzic, the chairman of the Bosnia-Hercegovina Council of Ministers, left for Mostar this morning to visit the...

Chinese assembly drafts agenda for upcoming session, reviews bird flu reports.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) (New China News Agency) Beijing, [Sunday] 29 February: The seventh meeting of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee closed on Sunday after the committee passed a...

Kuwaiti deputy premier urges army to stay on alert, "not throw caution to wind".
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Kuwait, 29 February: "Change in Iraq and the overthrow of the Saddam regime does not mean we should, nor would, throw caution to the wind," stressed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of...

UAE bans import of poultry products from USA.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Abu Dhabi, 28 February: The UAE today banned the import of poultry products from the United States. The decision which was termed as a precautionary measure to protect consumers, was taken here...

Vietnam news agency criticizes US State Department's human rights report.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Hanoi, 27 February: Vietnam has rejected the US State Department's report on human rights, saying it did not reflect the real situation in Vietnam. In the current trend of peace,...

Three rebels reported killed in clash in Chechnya.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Federal forces in Chechnya killed three rebels and detained one on 29 February, the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS reported from Groznyy the same day, citing Col Ilya Shabalkin, the spokesman for...

UN drug, crime experts meets Afghan Herat officials.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) The head of [Herat] Prosecutor's Office received a delegation of UNODC [United Nations Organization for Drugs and Crimes] at his office today. Bakhtar Information Agency reports that the...

Bahraini Islamists want Big Brother show stopped.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) protesters", published in English by Bahrain newspaper Gulf Daily News web site on 28 February Manama: Police yesterday prevented more than 1,000 protesters from reaching the Amwaj Islands...

Iraqi leaders downplay walkout over Shari'ah law.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) A member of the Iraqi Governing Council (IGC), Samir al-Sumaydi'i, has played down reports that some of his colleagues walked out when the council voted on 28 February to rescind the decision...

Azeri TV questions motive for Armenian officer's murder.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) [Presenter] The Armenians have visibly stepped up their activities since the strange incident that happened in Hungary [an Azerbaijani officer is suspected of killing an Armenian officer in...

Russian Volga town left without gas after accident.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Saratov, 29 February: The gas supply to the town of Engels (population 300,000) in Saratov Region has been completely cut owing to an incident on the Stepnoye-Storozhevka gas pipeline on Sunday...

ROBBERY ATTEMPT BY MEN POSING AS TENANTS, FOILED BY QUICK WITTED.
February 29, 2004... (From SAPA (South African Press Association)) FRIEND A group of men posing as prospective tenants attempted to rob a flat in Bellevue, Johannesburg, police reported on Sunday. However, their efforts were thwarted when a friend of one of...

Islamic Jihad leader blames USA for "assassination" of leaders in Gaza.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Text of telephone interview with Khalid al-Batsh, one of the leaders of the Islamic Jihad Movement, in Gaza by anchorwoman Lina Zahr-al-Din in the Doha studio - broadcast live by Qatari...

Russia's 2003 tax arrears over R1,000bn.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Moscow, 27 February: The total tax debt to Russia's consolidated budget, including penalties and fines, amounted to R1,089bn as of 1 January, Taxes and Levies Minister Gennadiy Bukayev told a...

Probe starts into Northern Fleet missile misfirings.
February 29, 2004... (From BBC Monitoring International Reports) Possible faults with navigation and guidance systems are to be investigated among the possible causes of the failed launches of two submarine-based ballistic missiles during recent military...